James Steward
James Steward was an English No-Maj stonemason. He was one of the original members of the Plymouth settlement, in the New World. James was the son of Martha Steward. He became romantically involved with a witch, Isolt Sayre whom he eventually married and had two daughters with, Martha and Rionach Steward. He later became one of the four founders of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Biography Early life James was born in England to Muggle Martha Steward and an unnamed Muggle father. He had travelled to the New World with the Plymouth settlement where he befriended a family which included two young boys, Chadwick and Webster Boot. One day, the family went exploring and was attacked by a Hidebehind. When the family didn't return to the settlement, James went in search of them only to find the boys' parents dead. While he was digging them a grave, he met Isolt Sayre who had returned to bury the parents after saving their children. However, the family were wizards, and when James picked up a broken wand and gave it a wave, it rebelled and threw James across the clearing where he hit a tree and was knocked out cold. Isolt took James to a small shelter and nursed him back to health. When he woke, he discovered Isolt was a witch. James was scared at first but while he recovered he often talked to Isolt and form a bond with Chadwick and Webster. He helped build a stone house upon Mount Greylock and the group christened it Ilvermorny. Isolt had planned to Obliviate James and erase his memory, but by the time Ilvermorny was built, James and Isolt had fallen in love and decided to get married instead. James and Isolt adopted Chadwick and Webster and raised them with magical traditions. Isolt told the boys stories she had heard about Hogwarts, and both boys wished to attend. Fearful of revealing her history with Gormlaith Gaunt, Isolt would not allow this nor explain why, but assured them that when they turned eleven, they would be given their own wands. Shortly before Chadwick turned eleven, Isolt had a dream in which the Horned Serpent gave her a shard of its horn, which turned into reality when she awoke and visited the creature. She gave this horn fragment to James, who used his skills in woodworking to enclose the core within a wand he carved from prickly ash. Upon waking on his eleventh birthday, Chadwick was presented with this new wand, which was said to be of "exceptional power." Contributing to Illvermony School When they came up with the idea of making Ilvermorny into a school, James got to choose what to name a house. He went with Pukwudgie, in honour of a creature which had befriended his wife before he met her. She had told him stories about her friend which made him laugh. By the time Webster turned eleven, Ilvermorny's reputation grew. The school now taught two other families who shared their knowledge of magic. James and Isolt also made them wands, but with different cores. Isolt and James learned to use a variety of other cores, including Wampus cat hair, Snallygaster heartstring, and Jackalope antler. 1634 By 1634, the school was flourishing and Isolt had given birth to her and James' twin daughters, Martha and Rionach. Martha was a Squib, but was loved very much by her family. However, one day, Isolt's aunt Gormlaith Gaunt found them. Isolt had fled Ireland to escape her wicked ways. Gormlaith returned to make her pay. She cast a spell over Ilvermorny which kept her and James in a deep sleep. Chadwick and Webster went to stop Gormlaith but James and Isolt were eventually woken by the cries of their daughters. They were eventually saved by William the Pukwudgie Isolt had befriended many years earlier. Later life James and Isolt became Headmaster and Headmistress of Ilvermorny and both lived to be over 100. A marble statue of James was made and flanks the front doors of Ilvermorny along with his wife's. Personality and traits Though much remains unknown, James Steward was known to be a loving father to his four children, biological and adopted, and was known to have been somewhat intimidated by Isolt's revelation to him that she was a witch. However, James quickly overcame this and fell deeply in love with Isolt, seeing her for the kind and loving woman that she was. He was a highly supportive husband, as he indulged and encouraged his wife's passion for teaching, leaving a lasting legacy alongside her. He was an open-minded and caring man who encouraged his wife's drive to teach and educate their children and other students in the ways of magic, and used his skills in construction to help build their school with her, proving himself a supportive husband and eager to help others. James was also a man eager to explore and learn more, hence why he became the first known No-Maj wandmaker, as he evidently discovered a method for a non-wizard to construct such powerful magical devices without catastrophe. He was known to be a wise and fair Headmaster alongside his wife and is immortalised in marble at the entrance to his school. James was an extremely intelligent man and a skilled wandmaker, despite him not being a wizard. Abilities and skills * Wandmaker: '''James has the great distinction of being the first and only known No-Maj to have crafted wands. He and Isolt made wands for their family and for the people they taught. The wands he created were known to be quite powerful. He and Isolt were the first to discover the properties of several wand cores unique to North America. * '''Craftsman: James was known to be a highly skilled craftsman, who specialised in stone masonry. He built the foundations of what would eventually become his and his wife's school, Ilvermorny. Behind the scenes *James Steward is the only known Muggle known to have helped to found a wizarding school, as well as to have been a headmaster of a wizarding school. He is also the first and so far only Muggle known to have made wands. Appearances * Notes and references de:James Steward es:James Steward fr:James Steward pl:James Steward pt-br:James Steward ru:Джеймс Стюард Category:18th century deaths Category:American individuals Category:Deceased individuals Category:Emigrants Category:English individuals Category:Historical figures Category:Ilvermorny founders Category:Ilvermorny Headmasters and Headmistresses Category:Males Category:Muggles Category:Sayre family Category:Steward family Category:Wandmakers